Taft STEAM Team grows crops with hydroponics and then donates food

In the Spring of 2023 school year, Taft School STEAM Lab had formed a partnership with the Fork Farms with hydroponics in the classroom. The Taft STEAM Lab was able to purchase a single flex farm in March when Ms. Gallerani was awarded a grant from MassCue. A flex farm is an indoor, vertical hydroponic system. It does not require soil, pesticides, or herbicides. The system has 288 plant spaces and can produce 25 pounds of leafy greens each grown cycle. This is an opportunity for students to be given a hands-on learning experience of the plant life cycle, where food comes from and new farming technology. In May, students started planting Green Star Lettuce, Cinnamon Basil and Cilantro in rockwool to start growing. The Green Star Lettuce was picked to eat a healthy food for a STEAM snack.

The Cinnamon Basil was picked for the purpose of sensory for students who do not have strong vision. The Cilantro was picked by Ms. Gallerani's English as a Second Language Learners as their favorite spice to use at home! The students were extremely excited to transplant the seed- lings in the flex farm, where they would continue to grow until harvest!

The students were tasked with monitoring and recording the growth of the plants and checking the water quality. In June, it was finally time for Harvest! The students were extremely excited! Sam, a representative from Flex Farm, came down from new Hampshire to spend the day in the STEAM Lab harvesting our crops. The students were able to harvest their lettuce and basil and immediately get to taste their crop. The students were extremely proud and loved the taste of the lettuce! The students harvest roughly 28 pounds of lettuce in a month!!!

All access lettuce was given to Taft School families and donated to Mendon Street Kitchen for parents to try their lettuce! As STEAM Lab continues this amazing project in the fall, the ultimate goal is for the students to continue to learn about the science and technology of growing their food. The harvest lettuce would be given to the school's cafeteria for staff and students to have a local source and healthy meal.

nEW LOCATIOn: Former Unitarian Church

SHAWnA FOUnDATIOn

LIBRARY POETRY TOUR: Joe Fusco, Jr. – Aug 17th at 7:00 p.m.

SOURDOUGH STARTER WORKSHOP with Sourdough Brandon – August 24th at 6:30 p.m.

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Book Club – The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley, August 8th at 1:00 p.m. Historical Fiction Book Club – The Daughters of nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt, August 15th at 3:30 p.m. Bookies Book Club – The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer, Aug 28 at 6:30pm

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